That Beat We Play
by Kersist
Summary: After a turbulent night spent together in the midst of a thunderstorm, Mio finds herself accidentally confessing long with-held feelings to Ritsu.  rest of summary inside
1. Chapter 1

I do not own K-ON! or there would be more Mitsu than necessary.

Summary: After a turbulent night spent together in the midst of a thunderstorm, Mio finds herself accidentally confessing long with-held feelings to Ritsu. In the midst of embarassing and emotional discoveries on both their parts, the two do what they can to remain friends, and possibly something more... Mio/Ritsu Azusa/Yui Drama/Humor/Romance

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"Hey Ritsu...?" Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, causing Mio to flinch. Her left hand tightened on the phone as Ritsu snickered on the other line.

"You jumped, didn't you?"

"...Shut up. Just answer my question."

"Fine fine. Just let me grab some things and I'll be there before you know it! Don't let the lightning get you, Mio-chuan!" She hung up before the bassist could reply.

"Stupid Ritsu..." She closed her phone and pulled her blanket over her head as thunder rumbled overhead. After a few minutes passed, Mio decided to go downstairs and unlock the door since, knowing Ritsu, she would be there momentarily. She made sure she was wrapped securely in her blanket before leaving the safety of her bed, stopping occasionally to cover her ears in hopes of shutting out the thunder. Finally reaching the door, she opened it to find Ritsu about to knock, completely soaked through and out of breath.

"Ran... fast... could..." Mio grabbed the drummers sleeve and pulled her inside as thunder boomed over head, causing her to slam the door with a squeak. Ritsu covered her mouth in an attempt to smother her snickering, but Mio still glared as she pulled the blanket around herself.

"Oh come on Mio. Don't give me that look. It was funny." The bassist opted to ignore her as she marched upstairs towards her room, pausing to throw a towel at Ritsu.

"Go take a hot shower so you don't get sick. I'll bring you the clothes you left here last time." She called down to her still snickering friend. Mio stalked into her room and shut the door behind her, leaning against it and sighing. She listened as Ritsu made her way up the stairs and to the shower before moving away from the door to look through her closet for the drummer's clothes. Being home alone always scared Mio, but being home alone during a thunder storm was worse than listening to the lead guitarist and the drummer tell ghost stories. She wouldn't have been able to survive the night with out being super paranoid, so she called Ritsu.

Ritsu always had this ability to be calm during any situation. Unless she had to face Sawako's wrath, which happened more often than not. Mio had always admired her outgoing yet calm personality, wishing she could overcome her shyness. Ten years later and Ritsu hadn't changed a bit. Mio, on the other hand, was a little less shy, but not to the point where she'd want to be the center of attention like Ritsu. She shook her head, bringing herself back to reality and walking down the hall to the bathroom.

"Ritsu, I'm leaving your clothes outside the door."

"Okay~!" Mio placed the drummer's clothes on the floor before moving back to her room. Shutting the door behind herself, she made her way to her bed before losing herself in her thoughts once more. Since Ritsu showed up, Mio's mind was successfully distracted from the storm outside. That is, until another loud thunderclap rumbled throughout the house. Mio cried out and cowered under her blanket once more. Trembling, she shut her eyes tight.  
"I didn't hear it, I didn't feel it, I didn't hear it, I didn't feel it..." she repeated to herself, covering her ears. Then she heard another noise. Not a scary one, but it did sound familiar... She uncovered her ears to listen.

"...Suki no kakuritsu waridasu keisan shiki, Areba ii noni..."  
"_It's..._" she identified the sound, "_singing..."_ Flowing though the hallway to Mio's room was the sound of an over-exaggerated version of "My Love is a Stapler".  
"_Ritsu's singing in the shower..._" Mio realized, sitting up and looking towards her bedroom door. "_Since when did she start singing in the shower...?_" The bassist giggled a little as the drummer sung the next line way off key.

"_Safe to say she isn't singing for us anytime soon._" Mio continued to listen to her best friend sing as she let her mind wander, small smile on her face. Ritsu's antics, although sometimes annoying and tiring to deal with, always had the power to make Mio smile even when she didn't want to. In having Ritsu close, Mio felt safer; as though the ball of energy that was the brunette radiated comfort, which Mio gladly drew from. With that energy, she felt she could take the whole world head on.  
"_But..._" Mio's smile faded as she gripped the blanket in her hands softly, "_but there is that again..._" Although Ritsu was the best person to go to in any scary situation, it was becoming more and more difficult to call on her friend. The onyx haired girl feared many things and for each of those fears, she had the brunette to tell her everything was okay. However, there was one thing in life she feared most. Even worse than combining all the things she was afraid of.

"_I'm afraid of losing her..._" She felt as though she needed to remind herself. "_But every time I'm near her, it gets harder to hold myself back..._" At that very moment, Ritsu walked into the room, her usual comforting smile on her face. A smile that Mio desperately wanted to press her own lips to each and every time she saw it.  
"_But I don't want her to think I'm a freak... I don't want her to hate me..._" Mio turned her attention away from the object of her affections, "_I can't let myself lose her completely..._"  
"Mio?" Ritsu asked, sounding concerned. The percussionist sat on the bed next to the blanket clad bassist, "Are you alright?"  
"Yeah, I'm okay." Mio responded automatically. "_When had she gotten out of the shower? I didn't even notice her singing stop..._" Mio wondered passively. It didn't really matter though; the important thing was that she was there to nullify another terror.

"You sure?" The onyx haired girl took a deep breath before turning to face Ritsu. She smiled and nodded, hoping the girl in front of her would accept that as an answer. The drummer gave her a skeptical look before shrugging it off and diving into her bag to look for something.

"I figured since there was a storm tonight, we could watch movies!"

"Ritsu, we have school tomorrow."

"Then how about just one movie then?" Ritsu sat up, movie in hand with a grin. Mio shot her a glare before opening her mouth to say something, but the brunette cut her off.

"I swear it's not a scary movie. It's that one movie you said looked good. I figured I'd pick it up for you." The bassist's glare softened to a smile as stood up, blanket in tow.

"I guess I'll grab something from the kitchen. You want anything?"

"Water?" Mio nodded and left, leaving Ritsu to mess with the DVD player. A moment later, she returned with two water bottles in hand and sat next to her best friend. The movie Mio had wanted to watch was a romantic comedy she had heard about in passing and had mentioned it to Ritsu one day. She hadn't really expected her to pick it up. The hyper active girl was more into action films than romance, but this one had comedy in it so maybe she wouldn't be completely bored to tears. Mio watched as Ritsu laughed at the characters on screen. The lead female had just found her soul mate by tripping him on accident and falling over herself.

"_It doesn't work that way_..." Mio idly thought to herself. No, she had never seen it happen in real life, only in books and movies. "_Reality just doesn't work that_..." Mio blinked twice, a confused look forming on her face. Did she just go blind?

"Uh... Mio..." Ritsu slowly said, knowing what was about to happen. Realization hit the bassist as she shrieked and latched on to the drummer. The power had gone out and the storm was most likely the culprit. Mio clung to Ritsu as she tried to get her breathing under control. Another bolt of lightning shot across the sky, causing her to jump, tightening her grip on Ritsu's sleeves.

"It's alright, Mio." The drummer said as she rubbed her back. "I'm here." She leaned forward and kissed the bassist's forehead before hugging her. She couldn't think of any other way to calm her down and decided to try that. The onyx haired girl froze as her best friend hugged her.

"_Did she just_...?_ Am I_...?_ What_...?" Mio's mind was like a whirlwind as she attempted to calm her thoughts down. "_Does this mean she likes me too_...? _Should I tell her_...?" After an internal argument with herself, she decided that Ritsu wouldn't have done that unless there was something behind it, forgetting that she had in fact done it before. But her emotions whirled endlessly, screwing up any rational thought she had.

"R-Ritsu?"

"Hm? You feeling better Mio?" The drummer pulled away and examined her face as best as she could in the dark. She still looked frightened.

"Um... There's something I think I should tell you..."

"Okay. What?" The drummers' smile was comforting as she patiently waited for Mio to compose herself.

"I um... Well I... Um..." Mio stuttered as Ritsu watched in amusement. The bassist blushed and looked everywhere but her. She took a deep breath before starting again.

"Ritsu, I... Um... The thing is..." She glanced up at the brunettes' face before looking down again. She was starting to feel like this was a bad idea.

"...I like you..." She whispered, unintentionally ending with a squeak. Ritsu stared at her for a moment before snickering.

"Well I hope you'd like me after all these years, Mio. What kind of friendship would this be if you didn't?" Mio's blush darkened as the drummer laughed.

"N-no... Um... L-like like..." She stuttered, mumbling the last few words. Ritsu's laughter died down as she let those words process. Her grin slowly faded as she turned those words over and over in her mind before it finally clicked. Mio had just confessed her feelings. For her of all people. "_Shit_..."

"Uh Mio..." The bassist looked up, tears already forming in her eyes. The rational side of her mind had finally taken over a moment too late. Her mind started jumping to conclusions when she saw Ritsu's expression. She was going to reject her and end their friendship. And it was all her fault.

"Listen Mio... I like you, but not like that. And don't give me that look; I know what you're thinking. This isn't going to ruin our friendship, okay?" To prove her point, Ritsu pulled her into a hug as she started sobbing. "See Mio? It's okay. You don't have to cry." The drummer held her as her sobs died down and eventually stopped.

"You okay now?" The onyx haired girl nodded as she pushed away from Ritsu, rubbing her eyes. The brunette smiled at her before looking around for the clock, only to remember the power was out.

"Well since the power is out, maybe we should head to bed." Ritsu said as she stood, pulling Mio up with her. As the brunette waited for the bassist to finish changing into her pajamas, she looked out the window. The power was out for what seemed to be whole block and it was still pouring rain.

"Well doesn't look like we'll be getting power anytime soon. You gonna be okay?" Mio nodded as she crawled into her bed before remembering it was dark.

"Y-yes..."

"Okay. I'll be right here." There was a dull thump as Ritsu hit the floor, finding it to be more comfortable than her own bed as she slowly drifted off. Mio curled under her covers as lightning flashed again. She shivered slightly before making up her mind. The bassist peeked over the edge of her bed at Ritsu's still form. The only sounds in her room were the occasion rumble of thunder and their breathing.

"R-Ritsu...?"

"Hm...?"

"Can... Can you sleep up here...? P-please...?" Ritsu grunted in reply and Mio assumed it meant no until she felt the blanket lift up.

"Move over then." She scooted over as the drummer plopped down on the bed, seemingly passing out before her head hit the pillow. Mio laid there and watched as the shadows dance across her walls at each flash of lightning, unable to fall asleep. She rolled over and examined Ritsu's face in what light she had. She was still slightly angry with herself for confessing like that. It's not how she wanted it to go; in fact, she didn't want it to happen at all.

"_Not like I can do anything about it now. At least she doesn't hate me_..." She thought to herself as she made sure Ritsu was asleep as she inched closer. The bassist rested her forehead against the drummers' shoulder as she curled up.

"I'm sorry Ritsu..." She whispered as she drifted off to sleep.

Minutes ticked by before Ritsu opened her eyes, only to meet darkness. She turned her head to find Mio curled up against her side as she slept.

"_So_... _ I guess somehow my best friend developed feelings for me_." The drummer sighed. This was quite a predicament, but nothing she couldn't handle.

"_The hard part will be making sure things won't get awkward_... _Dammit Mio, why did it have to be me?_" Maybe if she ignored it, things won't get awkward or something. She also didn't want to hurt Mio or anything.

"_Arg forget it! I'll think about this tomorrow!_" She nodded to herself before shutting her eyes. They've been friends close to forever, so this couldn't make things awkward.

...Right?

* * *

A/N: Well now. I've had this idea for a while and at first I only had the first paragraph. It was more based off the memory of a friend of mine who is afraid of lightning storms. She swears the lightning is going to get her. -snickers-  
Anyways, this here is my attempt at a Mitsu fic, since I am currently shipping them hardcore. And my art skills are non-existent so I can't ship them that way. And guys, Mio is hard to write. I'm more of a Ritsu myself. Anywho, this fic would not have been possible with out the help of my tsundere co-writer, Nobody08. And now, a word from our sponsor.

Nobody 08: I didn't know you were thinking of a picture... I've never drawn any K-ON characters before... Oh, hi there! I am the... "tsundere co-writer", I guess. . Anyway, I hope you find this story enjoyable... but my mission here is to 1.) Help my friend out, and 2.) SPREAD THE MIOxRITSU LOVE! So just be being here I am one step closer to accomplishing my mission. And on that note, I issue my closing statement: I like cookie dough. That is all.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the delay, but here it finally is! Chapter two!

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Mio drifted lightly back into reality from her slumber, her eyelids slowly parting to reveal the deep gray orbs underneath. The first thing that registered in her vision was a sleeping form that she knew well, so she opened her mouth to greet it.

"Good morning, Sweethea-" Her hands flew to her mouth to stifle a gasp when she fully remembered the situation. A few curses flew through her mind, her cheeks reddened, and she suddenly had a little trouble breathing. What was she thinking, asking Ritsu to sleep in the same bed with her last night? And even further, to almost call her "sweetheart"? As Mio looked into her friend's sleeping face, her heaving chest steadied itself and her panicked face was smoothed over.  
Ritsu really looked peaceful while she was sleeping. Mio rolled her eyes at the thought and pointed out to herself that being peaceful was most likely beyond Ritsu's capacity. So then what was it that made Mio like her so much? She didn't even entirely know herself. All she knew just then was that Ritsu was still her friend, and that was all that mattered.

Or was it?

She inched closer to the drummer's limp figure, and wrapped her arms around her. She worked her nose in just above Ritsu's collar bone as she thought solemnly that maybe... just for a few minutes... she could pretend that previous events had followed the flow of her desires. Just for a little while...

And then, just a few minutes later, the alarm on Ritsu's phone went off.

"AAH!" half awake Mio sprung out of bed, her fear of being caught by Ritsu in her fantasy at this point overriding the fact that screaming would only serve to wake her up faster.

"Mio? What's wrong?" Ritsu asked, rubbing her eyes and silencing her phone.

"Th-the alarm..." Mio stuttered, making up an excuse, "I-I forgot it was a school day..." Ritsu chuckled, "The storm last night scared you that bad? Normally you'd still remember school!"

"N-no! That's not... I just..." Mio and Ritsu's eyes met, making them both stop.

"Oh." Ritsu said after a few moments, as if understanding something, "Well, I'm gonna get my other uniform I left here last time and... uhh." Mio realized what a good point "uhh" made. What WAS she going to do? Use the bathroom? Use the same room like before? They stared at each other in silent debate until Ritsu spoke.

"... Get dressed." The question was still unanswered to Mio. The drummer then stood and grinned at her.

"...What?" Mio asked.

"Aren't you going to turn around?" Ritsu responded, her tone of voice matched the sly grin on her face, "I can't have you peeking at me, Miiiooo~." Mio had the sudden urge to hit her, the teasing was so familiar. This time she held back because, even though it really was a tease like usual at the core... Ritsu was right. Mio's gaze fell as she fully turned her body in the other direction. The drummer snickered as she quickly changed before slowly sneaking up behind Mio. She debated with herself before deciding to just jump on the poor girl.

"MIOOOO!" Ritsu practically screamed as she tackled the bassist, causing her to squeal and topple over, taking the drummer down with her. The brunette sat up, allowing Mio to push herself up

"What was that for?" Mio shot her a glare. Ritsu studied her face for a moment before smiling her trademark Cheshire grin and leaning close to the bassist's face, causing her to blush and lean backwards.

"W-what? What is it?" She looked off to the side while trying to get her blush under control. She was afraid that if she kept starting at Ritsu while she was that close, she might do something stupid.

"Hey Mio-chuan. How long have you had a crush on me, huh?" Ritsu's grin widened as Mio jumped and her blush darkened. "_W-why is she asking me that_?"

"U-um... I d-don't know... A w-while now...?" The brunette nodded to herself and thought this information over.

"Mio, you realize that between you deciding you have a crush on me and now, we have probably shared the bed and changed in front of each other like a million times. And I think we've bathed together too. So why is it after you confess to me, everything gets awkward?" Mio opened her mouth to retort before snapping it shut. Ritsu had a point. Why was she making this more complicated than it needed to be?

"I-I guess you have a point..." The drummer sat back and kept her grin up as her best friend acknowledged she was right.

"Well now that we have that settled, I think you should get dressed or we'll be late." The bassist glanced at the time on her phone before leaping up, grabbing her uniform, and rushing to the bathroom for a quick shower, leaving a snickering Ritsu behind.

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School Time  
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Azusa Nakano sighed as she made her way through the crowded halls of Sakuragaoka High School. She was in school, she knew this, yet at the same time, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. She was having a problem focusing on anything, and she had no one to blame but her sempai.

Yui Hirasawa.

"_She has been acting strangely towards me lately. I don't understand why._" But the kouhai did know. Or at least she had her ideas. She sighed once again before opening the door to her classroom, only to pause in surprise.

"Y-Yui-sempai? What are you doing in my class?" Azusa noted Ritsu in the class as well, but didn't think anything of it.

"But Azunyan..." Yui responded, an entertained look spreading across her features, "This is my class!"

"W-What?" Azusa looked up at the sign over the classroom door before blushing. "Y-You're right! How did I end up here?"

"Maybe it's because you wanted to see me so badly!" Yui commented though a widening smile.

"N-no, that can't be it. I must have spaced out on my way to class!"

"Silly Azunyan! You're so cute~" Yui's smile grew wider as she hugged the smaller girl. The kouhai struggled in an attempt to get the taller girl off of her.

"Yui-sempai, I need to go to class! Let me go!" Azusa shouted, successfully shoving the lead guitarist's hands off. Yui backed away a few steps and proceeded to pout at the shorter girl. Azusa turned and made her way out the door, but froze as Yui spoke up again.

"But Azunyan..." She turned to see Yui making a face that resembled a puppy that just had its favorite toy taken away. The kouhai blushed at the comparison she just made before turning fully to face her sempai.

"You act like you never see me..." She mumbled, looking away.

"But I don't! I see you once after school! That's definitely not enough Azunyan time!" Yui flung herself towards the small guitarist before latching on to her for a hug.

"Yui-sempai! I really have to go before I'm late!" The truth was that Azusa, in some corner of her mind, was really enjoying the contact from Yui... Even though she strongly denied it with all her willpower.

"Oops! You're right! Sorry Azunyan!" Yui said cheerfully, finally letting her go.

Azusa sprinted away down the hall towards her class, stopping and turning around as Yui called her name. She sweat dropped as her sempai waved and walked into her classroom before turning and making her way towards her class again. She sped up as the bell started ringing and threw the door to her class open as the bell quieted down, signaling the start of class.

"Well hello there, Nakano-san. Late today are we?" the teacher asked.

"Y-yes, Sensei..." The guitarist muttered in response, her blush dying down a little. She kept her head down as she waited for her punishment to be announced.

"Aren't you going to take your seat, Nakano-san?"

"What?" Azusa looked up in shock, "But what about my..."

"Your punishment? Well you've never been late before. I figure I can let it slide this once."

"Thank you, sensei!" Azusa bowed and moved to take her seat, but just as she was about to sit down, the teacher spoke again,

"But just this once, understand? If Hirasawa-san holds you up again, you will get detention like everyone else."

"WHA-" the outburst froze in Azusa's mouth and instead came out as, "Yes, sensei."

After a moment or two, Ui, Yui's younger sister, turned to ask her, "Was it really Onee-chan?"

"Y-yeah..." she answered, "but how did she know that?"

"Who wouldn't be able guess? You guys spend so much time together." Jun stated from the desk behind Azusa, bored expression on her face. "And she clings to you a lot. You two seem really close... So who else would it be?"

"We don't spend that much time together..." Azusa mumbled under her breath. Her mind started to wander as her teacher started the lesson. It definitely wasn't her imagination. Yui was being more clingy than usual towards her, no doubt about that.

"_But why..._" She knew why. But Azusa didn't want to give herself hope, so she pushed those feelings deep into her heart before paying attention to her teacher.

Of course she liked Yui. She knew that for sure. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone, preferring to stay professional in this 'no serious-ness allowed' club. But one thought still plagued her mind as she started taking notes on the days subject.

Did Yui like her as well, or was she over thinking the whole situation?

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In Yui and Ritsu's Class  
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Back in Yui's art class, Ritsu watched the scene unfold between the two guitarists from the classroom window. A little light bulb clicked on in her head as she watched Azusa's reactions to Yui's teasing. Definitely different than normal.

"_Is one of them like Mio_...?" She wondered to herself as she watched Yui walk back into the classroom. Ritsu worked the equation out in her head and after thinking it over, she came to the conclusion that it was Yui. The elder guitarist was always attached to the kouhai, no doubt about that. But when she thought about it more, she realized Mio never clung to her unless she was afraid of something. In which case she would cling to whoever was closest.

...Which always happened to be Ritsu.

"_Or maybe they both are. Wait why am I even thinking about this? If they are, then that's okay too! We're all friends here. Why should I_-"

"... Ricchan!" Yui shouted, finally getting Ritsu's attention. She shook her head to clear her thoughts before focusing on the girl in front of her.

"What?"

"You're bleeding!" Yui said, pointing to Ritsu's hands.

"I am?" Ritsu looked and indeed, she had cut her left index finger with the scissors she was using. "Oh crap!" she muttered, inspecting the injury. It was light, and therefore nothing serious.

"Sensei! Do you have a band-aid?" Yui yelled, raising her hand.

"...Yes, I do." the teacher responded, seeing their need for one as soon as she looked over.

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In Mio and Mugi's Class  
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"Mugi..." Mio said, keeping her eyes on her paper. Their Modern Japanese class had required them to partner up for the assignment, so naturally they had paired up; their desks were moved to face each other.

"Yes?" Mugi replied, giving Mio her 'I'm politely waiting for you to continue' look.

"I... I think... Um... There's something I want to talk to you about..." Mio quietly stated, not looking up from her work.

"Alright. Talk to me." Mugi's smile comforted Mio a little in that moment. Mio sighed and opened her mouth again.

"I... I um... That is, I uh..." Mugi patiently waited for Mio to compose herself.

"I... I like Ritsu..." The keyboardist opened her mouth to say the same like Ritsu did, but Mio cut in.

"As in... M-More than a friend..." The bassist kept her eyes down as she stuttered.

"Ah..." Was all Mugi managed before many yuri scenes formed in her mind. She pushed them all away, telling herself that Mio needed her now and she could daydream later.

"How did she take it?" The blond finally asked after a moment of silence, startling Mio.

"H-huh?" She hadn't expected the keyboardist to be so accepting towards to confession, but she knew better. Mugi was her friend and wouldn't think anything different of her just for liking girls.

"I'm assuming you're telling me because you told her." Mugi said matter of factly, "So how did she take it?"

"O-oh... Well, she doesn't like me that way... But I'm glad she's still willing to be my friend." Mio answered shyly.

"So then what's bothering you?"

"Why does something have to be bothering me?" irritation edged into Mio's voice.

"Because you're talking to me about it." Mugi replied simply, still smiling and paying Mio's tone no mind. The bassist's expression softened.

"I'm sorry... You're right..." she admitted.

"It's alright, Mio-chan." Mugi calmly said, "Just let it out." What the keyboardist was leaving unsaid was her extreme interest in just this situation; she knew there was chemistry between Mio and Ritsu only a few weeks into joining the Light Music Club.

"I don't know what to do. I know I should just leave it, but... I want to fight it! I don't want to accept that this is how things are meant to be between us! I..." the onyx haired girl noticed how loud she was being, even though it was still a little soft by most people's standards. The next sentence was spoken gently as tears formed in her eyes, "I still want her, Mugi. And... I want her to love me. It's just..."

"It's hard." Mugi finished, her visage filled with understanding.

"Yeah. It is." Mio confirmed, wiping the pools on her face away, smiling lightly.

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In The Clubroom  
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Azusa was the first to arrive to the Music Room. This wasn't too surprising, considering her last class was the closest to the old building. Today though, she didn't mind being alone. She needed to get her thoughts in order again before facing Yui.

"Why can't I stop thinking about her today?" Azusa wondered out loud. She watched the Light Music Club's soft shelled turtle, Ton-chan, swim about in his tank. "What do you think, Ton-chan?" she asked smiling, "Am I weird?"

"Azu~nyan~!" The kouhai recognized the pair of arms that circled her as the energetic bubble known as Yui hugged her.

"Y-Yui-sempai!" the younger girl exclaimed.

"Aww, did I scare you, Azunyan?" The ditzy brunette asked, sounding seriously concerned, "I'm sorry..." Azusa barely had time to feel the shivers run down her spine from Yui's gentle breath on her ear before the taller of the two spoke again, "So why would you be weird?"

"H-Huh?" Azusa's face exploded into a sudden and bright scarlet. "W-What makes you ask that?"

"I heard you asking Ton-chan." Yui said casually, speaking over Azusa's ear again, which brought about another set of shivers.

"I-I just... uh, I like a movie that no one else seems to..." she heard the lie fall from her lips, and knew in an instant that it was the only thing she could go with.

"Oh? What movie is that?" Yui inquired.

"W-What movie? Um, y-you probably wouldn't know it..." she tried to stall for time while she thought of something.

"Try me! I've seen lots of weird movies!" Yui's statement somehow didn't surprise the younger girl at all. Just then the door opened and Mugi stood in the doorway.

"Was it Zebraman?" Mugi asked. There was a sly inflection in Mugi's words that caught Azusa on to her intentions. At the same time, it made her wonder how many people could listen in on her at a time without her noticing.

"Yes! H-how did you know?" the kouhai asked, feigning shock.

"I liked that one too!" Mugi said, "You're not weird!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Azusa was worried about her acting, as her panic levels continued to skyrocket for as long as Yui held on to her.

"... Zebraman?" Yui wondered, "I've never heard of that one. You were right Azunyan! I didn't know it!" she gripped Azusa a little tighter, grinning. The lead guitarist was curious as to how much Azusa could really take of this kind of attention.

"Hey, Yui-sempai, t-that's enough..."

"But Azunyaaaaaan..."

"Come on, let go!" Yui turned Azusa around to face her, and silence ensued. Mugi watched as they stared at each other, small smile forming as something clicked in her mind.

"Azunyan..." Yui's smile almost made Azusa's knees fail.

Then the door opened as the club's bassist and drummer finally made their appearance, causing the kouhai to push away from the guitarist, blushing furiously. Mio blushed as well while Ritsu just grinned, walking in past Mugi and making herself comfortable, but not before glancing at her face. The blond had that far-away look, most likely imagining something yuri-ish between the two guitarists. After a moment or two, Mugi came back to reality and started on the tea. The drummer just shrugged and watched as everyone took their seats.

"So I think we should skip practice today."

"What? Why? We haven't practiced in three days!" Of course, Azusa would be the one to oppose the notion, most likely to distract herself from Yui.

"Well... I kinda had an accident in class today." Ritsu grinned and rubbed the back of her head while she showed off her bandaged finger.

"That's really not going to stop you from drumming, you know." Sawako pointed out.

"But I don't wanna!"

...

"Ah! Sawa-chan!" Everyone jumped and looked at her as Mugi calmly served their teacher tea. "When did you get here?" Their teacher shrugged as she drank her tea.

"Ritsu, she's right. How is that going to stop you from drumming?" The bassist turned her attention back to the brunette after getting over the shock of Sawako's sudden appearance.

"Ah Mio, why are you so cruel." Mio shot her a glare as she stood and unzipped her bass. Azusa leapt up and unpacked her guitar as well.

"Aw come on! Mugi are you with me?" The drummer pouted as she looked at their keyboardist. She smiled apologetically as she made her way towards her keyboard.

"Looks like we're alone in this, Yui!"

"Right, captain!" But not even their combined force could fight against Mio and Azusa teamed up. Ritsu pulled her drum sticks out of her bag and sat at her drums as the kittenish kouhai persuaded the ditzy brunette to unpack her guitar. Once everyone was in position and finally ready, Ritsu counted them off. It was a bit awkward playing the drums with a bandaged finger, as her grip wasn't too strong. But she was still able to keep up with her usual strong and fast beats. She was careful though, as her grip on the left drum stick wasn't as strong as she'd like it to be.

Continuing through their fan favorite song _Fuwa Fuwa Time_, Ritsu was so into the song that she had forgotten about her injury. Getting close to the end of the song, she swung her left arm to her right to hit a cymbal, only to find the stick was no longer in her hand. Instead it was flying at Mio while the drummer could only stare dumbly. The bass abruptly cut off as the stick connected with the back of Mio's head before clattering to the floor. The other three members stopped their playing as Ritsu leapt up and rushed to Mio's side.

"Hey Mio, you okay? That was an accident, I swear!" The bassist turned to glare at her while rubbing the offended spot on the back of her head while the drummer grinned sheepishly. Mugi handed Mio a small ice pack that she just happened to have.

"This is why I said we shouldn't practice! Mio got violently injured! Who knows who our next casualty wi- OW!" Ritsu was cut off by Mio's fist connecting to her head.

"Um... We don't have to practice if it hurts too much, Mio-sempai." Azusa was still standing with her guitar while Yui disappeared back to her cake during the distraction. Mio shook her head before replying.

"No we need to practice. But there isn't much we can do with Ritsu..." Everyone minus Yui looked around at each other for a moment before Sawako spoke up.

"I might have an idea. Ricchan, come here." A few moments and a number of protests later, Ritsu was sitting back behind her drums, drum stick taped in her left hand.

"Well. I guess we could try this." She waved her hand around and grinned as the others giggled. She counted them off again and started playing. It was a bit awkward at first since her hold was stiff, but she managed to work around it. Everything was going well until she leaned too far and almost fell on her drums.

"_Abort Mission!_" Ritsu thought at the last second as she twisted her body and rolled as she hit the floor. As she fell, the stool she was sitting on tipped over and hit the bass pedal. Hearing the crash, the other HTT members stopped their playing and turned to see what happened. Sawako was too busy laughing, as she had watched the scene unfold. Mio and Mugi rushed to Ritsu's side as Yui took the opportunity to cling to Azusa.

"How did you manage to get all the way over there?" Azusa asked, looking between the drum set and its' drummer. Putting on a show as though she were critically injured, Ritsu glanced between her friends.

"Must... Protect... Drums...!" She stated before pretending to faint all while making it as dramatic as possible. Mio and Azusa rolled their eyes as Yui and Mugi clapped at Ritsu's performance.

"Well if you guys are done, I'm heading back now. I have more paperwork to fill out before I can leave." Sawako stood and said her goodbyes before leaving the five girls to themselves. Deciding to give up on practice, they all made their way back to the table for another cup of tea. They chatted amongst themselves as Ritsu pulled off the many layers of taped wrapped around her left hand.

"Oh yeah. Ritsu, do you think you can come over today? I wrote a new song that I want you to look at. I forgot to bring it today though..."

"Sure thing, Mio."

* * *

A/N: Again sorry for the long delay. I started college shortly after posting the first chapter and have been kinda busy since then. I also procrastinate a lot, so I'm sure that didn't help. But this is a record! It took me forever to get anything done for Triggering Events. I have a lot of things to say, so let's get started.

First off, my co-writer (Nobody08 if you guys forgot) wanted to try her hand at writing, so I let her run free. She wrote most of this chapter and all I did was edit it. Actually, everything from this chapter came from her. She would give me idea's and I would write it.

Apparently Zebraman really is a movie as my co-writer saw it once. And it really is weird. I wouldn't know though since I've never heard of it.

The band aid part is something everyone should know about. You know how you get a tiny little cut on your finger and you put a band aid on it, then all of a sudden that finger is useless? Yeah. That.

Um... Unfortunately, Nobody08 isn't here anymore. She left for Air Force boot camp and left me to fend for myself. So if I ever get anything done, it will be short of a miracle. I have no idea what I want in chapter three. Nothing has been written yet. So who knows how that will go.

As much as I love Mitsu, I'm kind of tired of it for right now. I've been wanting to read some YuiAzu for a while now. Lucky for you peoples, I'm writing a YuiAzu one-shot. It's not a happy one though.

My fanfiction writing confidence was slaughtered by the amazing works of miss AdrenaVeris. If you guys don't know who she is, shame of you. Go read her stuff, it's literally amazing. I am loyally following every one of her works so far. Spiral and No, Thank You have blown my mind. Does this count as advertising? -shamelessly advertises another author in her own story-

So I guess that's it for now. If you guys leave reviews, make sure you include the co-writer, since she does write the fic as well.

As for when i will update, I don't know when that will happen. I'm halfway through the YuiAzu one-shot and my college class ends December 19th for winter break. And I don't know what I want in the next chapter yet. No wait, that's a lie. I know what I want. I just depends on how distracted I am.

So thank you for reading everyone. I don't like begging for reviews, but I'm sure that Nobody08 and myself would like to know how we are doing. Stuff like "OMG this is awesome" and "I less than three Ritsu" is awesome and all, but that doesn't really tell us how we're doing.

Thank you for reading! And be sure to wish Nobody08 good luck in the Air Force!


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